How To Love✓

22.

Anonymous

***

The lost boy sits lifelessly contemplating his next steps, depicting on the treacherous darkness he devours in his soul.

There is a dull pain at the back of his head but he cannot fortify what made that type of pain appear. His ears are full of eerie sounds and his eyes deceive him.

He is so lightheaded that he knows he wouldn't be able to fight it.

The world has a power of its own. A power that scares him.

She is the power that wipes him out entirely.

He flicks his finger to discard a droplet of sweat on his face and realises that it is a tear.

***

Amara

I'm curious as to where Lucien was.

I hope he was okay and not hurt. But what could possibly make him that mad to run away from everything?

I searched the whole area and got fed up when I couldn't locate him. I pull over to the side of the road and huff in defeat.

Where could he be? He wasn't back at campus nor was he by the lake.....

"His art gallery," I snap my fingers together and grinned as I finally figured out his whereabouts.

"I hope I'm correct." I couldn't make out what the crashing noise was;it sounded like something breaking. I pulled up on the gravel road and hurriedly dashed out of the car. I am still as confused when I arrived than when I left the campus.

I take a deep breath and slowly opened the door. A gasp escapes my lips.

Everything was broken, paintbrushes scattered mindlessly across the floor and every portrait was either ripped into pieces or blotched with paint.

Lucien sits at a small table, his head hung loose as he passed his bloody hands along the sides of his face.

"I don't know why everyone thinks I could fix you, but I will try," I say softly and his bloodshot eyes flicker to where I stood. His hair is hidden under a maroon beanie and his eyes darken.

He looks broken. Scary, but broken.

"How did you find me?" Lucien raises his voice and it seems to draw me in.

I took a few paces forward and decided to speak, my voice hoarse as ever. "Sylvia, she t-t-told me you ran away?"

I wish I hadn't said anything.

He laughs menacingly and he stands up, striding over to me. He stands so close that I am in perfect view of his adam's apple bob as he gulped and his features soften. He pulls out a small bottle of whiskey from his pant pocket and gulps the remaining of liquid down, discarding the bottle by forcefully throwing it against the wall and smashing it to millennia pieces.

His eyes never left mines when the action was done, too egotistic to let go of his stare.

"Everyone is so predictable. Lucien is upset so you gang up on me and try to make me feel like fucking shit," he says with a slick smirk.

"I thought you don't drink?" I ask him and cross my arms.

"I don't. You babygirl," he points to me and turns to walk away, "you're the fucking reason why everything goes haywire."

I can't deny that being near each other makes both of us vulnerable to each other.

"You're right," was all I said. He turns to me and furrowed his eyebrows at my silence.

"I am?"

I only nod and turned to walk out the door knowing that a conversation was not in the benefit of the doubt.

"What does it matter to you? About how I feel?" he spits out and the emotion behind his voice was so solid that I am forced to look into his fiery eyes.

"I just want to help you," I plea.

He cackles. "If you want to help then leave before I hurt you."

It was my turn to laugh. "You already did."

He is surprisingly silent.

I divert my eyes to his bloody hands. "How about you tell me what happened to your hands?"

"I cut them with a piece of glass," was all he mumbled.

"And why did you trash the entire place?" I motioned my hands around.

"You ask too many questions princess."

I shrug. "I'm a curious specimen."

He sighs, knowing that I would probably nag him until he spilled the beans.

"Ma Mére is in the hospital," he confesses, his voice cracking at the end.

I stare in utter disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Would I be fucking fooling around about something so important to me Amara? Use your upstairs sometimes," he growls and I shake my head.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I-I.....that was a stupid question. Is she okay? How did she end up there?" I ramble on.

"She had a heart attack. She's stable but is in intensive care. My father decides that we fly out to Aix-De-Provence, my hometown back in France, to see to her aid, but I can't go after what I put her through. She wouldn't even glance my way," he spits out.

"But she would. She would want her only son, her only child, to see her in her helpless state. For him to console her most passionately, knowing that she will pull through. She would never scorn you Lucien. At the end of the day you guys are still mother and son," I coax and grab his bloodied hands.

"But I was the reason that.. that she's in all this mess." He was fighting so hard against the threatening tears but his soft, sensitive side slowly revealed.

I wanted to ask him what he meant, but seeing him this fragile in front of me, begged to let it go. I really didn't want to make him feel worse than he already is.

"As a mother, she would never put the blame on her child knowing that you're not the fault. What if you really aren't the fault? Huh? Stop beating yourself up, okay?" I lower my eyes and bring his hands up to cup my cheeks.

He doesn't say anything else, so I reassure him that I am and will always be there for him.

"I'm right here. I'm not leaving. I can't, I can't bare to see you this way," I whisper, feeling a sting at my eyes. I was crying now.

"I will go with you," I add, "I don't want you going anywhere without someone who will be there for you. Now I'm not babying you, but I care too much for you Lucien. And what would your mother think about you carrying about yourself like this?"

His mouth twitch slightly upwards and he brings his eyes to stare into mines. "She'd think I'm a lunatic."

I giggle. "Well we all have our crazy side."

Without thinking he grabs me by my waist and pulls me in for a long, lustful kiss.

I didn't mind the blood. In that moment I thought about us saving each other.

***

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